There have been a handful of updates to the Google Play Store’s operation that garnered headlines in recent days, such as the news that apps’ rating calculations will start being more heavily weighted toward the most recent user ratings. Meanwhile, some users have started seeing something new from the Play Store — a notification gently reminding them to remove apps they may have downloaded years ago and long since stopped using.

We haven’t had a thread on favorite apps for a while, so let’s get to it, ladies! I have an iPhone and tend to organize everything into folders as well as pages (mostly so all of MY stuff is on one page whereas “apps to amuse my kids” are on later pages).

Some of my favorite apps in 2019:

Best app for forming habits

I still use Done although I’ve tried to scale back to only track three habits at any given time.

Best app for calorie-counting or tracking food

Shhhhhh don’t tell my WW coach, who I still speak to weekly through their “private coaching” plan, but I’ve started using iTrackBites instead of WW. I like that you can follow older WW plans (shhhh) as well as see another metric of your choosing — right now I’m looking at macros but I’ve also looked at calories in the past.

Best app for recipes

I’ve heard great things about Paprika, but my husband and I found Pepperplate a few years ago when we were looking for a great meal-planning app and haven’t looked back — my full review is here, but briefly: I love that you can store recipes, upload personal photos and notes and tags (my tags are things like “summer” and “clean”), that you can make one shopping list by adding several recipes to your meal plan, and I love that both he and I have the app on our phone so we always have our full recipes at hand.

Best app for podcasts

I really like Overcast for podcasts. Some things I only recently realized: a) you can create lists so if you’re in the mood to listen to, say, political commentary all your political podcasts are in one easy list; b) you can choose to automatically download new episodes but (and this is key) only keep a certain number of unplayed episodes, and c) you can make a Siri shortcut for Overcast to do something like “play political podcasts” and Siri will just start doing it for you.

Best app for extensive note-taking:

Evernote! We’ve shared tips for using Evernote here, but I primarily use it for family research projects, so here’s my post over at CorporetteMoms with all my Evernote tips for moms.

App for casual lists and drafts (of letters, posts, whatever):

While I use Evernote to collect information from elsewhere, if I’m generating content myself or just keeping a few simple text lists (like what to buy at the grocery store, or restaurants to try the next time I’m in X neighborhood), I just like the native notepad that comes with iPhone. (I even use that native app on my iPhone to store school paperwork and other stuff that tends to get lost in Evernote.) I did download a fancier Notebook but the original notepad is just fine. I’m still in love with my Bluetooth keyboard for typing while out and about, too (although be warned, the rechargeable one does drain my phone battery more than first one I had).

Other apps I use all the time: Slack. Facebook. Twitter. The NYT app. OpenTable. FreshDirect. Clue. SleepCycle. Trello. Amazon.

Evan Pipta is 28, single and looks pretty good on paper: He has a job as a software developer, likes rock climbing and electronic music and lives in trendy Greenpoint. He also hasn’t had sex in a year — and “even that was a one-night stand,” says Pipta. So, what’s wrong with him? Nothing, according…Living | New York Post

When you’re in a new city with unfamiliar landmarks, it can be tough to describe where you are to your companions — especially if you’ve had a few drinks. This app aims to change that by dividing the world into 57 trillion 10-foot squares.

You can save big by taking public transportation. However, that can get tricky — especially if you’re not used to it. Citymapper helps you plan trips from point A to point B the cheapest and most efficient way possible.

One of the best ways to save money on food and drinks? Hitting up happy hour. But in an unfamiliar city, it’s hard to figure out where to go. Enter this app, which allows you to search by drink type, day, time and city for the lowest priced drink in your area..

You probably subscribe to Groupon updates in your home city — but what about when you’re traveling? Though some of the discounts may only be available to local residents, you’re bound to find some great deals on tickets or activities in your destination.

You use a lot of data when you travel. Avoid going over your limit by connecting to wifi whenever possible; use this app to find hotspots near you. You can also find passwords, so you don’t have to ask your barista.

If you’re traveling in a group, figuring out who owes what can be a royal pain. This handy app does it for you, so nobody ends up unfairly paying more than their share. At the end of the trip, it’ll even email out a detailed report.

You can’t put a price on your safety. This app (formerly known as SafeTrek) has several features to give you (and your mom) peace of mind. Hold down the safety button until you’re safely where you need to be. When you get there, release the button and enter your pin. If you’re in danger, release — don’t enter your pin — and it’ll contact 911.

With a few downloads before you leave, you’re bound to enjoy your trip without breaking the bank. Appy Spring Break!

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

A New York regulator is ramping up a promised investigation of how Facebook gathered sensitive personal information from popular smartphone applications, after a report by The Wall Street Journal revealed that many such apps were sending the social-media giant data including users’ body weight and menstrual cycles.WSJ.com: WSJD

Popular health and fitness apps scrambled to stop sending sensitive personal information to Facebook after The Wall Street Journal reported Friday many were transmitting detailed information about topics including their users’ weight and menstrual cycles.WSJ.com: WSJD

Millions of smartphone users confess their most intimate secrets to apps, including personal health information. Unbeknown to most people, in many cases that data is being shared with someone else: Facebook.WSJ.com: US Business

Stop us if you’ve heard a version of this one before. Facebook is slurping up a trove of extremely personal data from users of almost a dozen smartphone apps — apps which send along info that includes extremely private health details that the user, of course, is unaware Facebook is getting its hands on.

That’s according to a test of more than 70 apps reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, which found that at least 11 are sending such details to Facebook without the users’ knowledge. Not only that, Facebook can apparently also collect this data from users of the various apps in question who don’t have a Facebook account.

Millions of smartphone users confess their most intimate secrets to apps, including personal health information. Unbeknown to most people, in many cases that data is being shared with someone else: Facebook.WSJ.com: WSJD

Are you in an app rut? Have you been using the same handful of apps over and over for as long as you can remember? Well we simply cannot let that stand, which is why we dug through hundreds of paid iPhone and iPad apps on Tuesday morning that are on sale for a limited time. We came up with the eight best freebies of the day and you’ll find them all listed below. Just be sure to hurry because these deals could end at any moment.

From Bumble to Tinder, there’s a whole host of dating apps at our fingertips. But with so much choice on offer, are they helping or hindering us in our quest to find The One? Writer Josh Glancy explores digital dating dilemmas

I was on holiday in Mexico recently with a beautiful, and perennially single, female friend; let’s call her Lauren. We drank Coronas, ate emulsified ants, and visited Mescal distilleries nestled in the hills above Oaxaca. It was a joyous week.

One thing bothered me, though. At every stop, Lauren insisted on having her photo taken – by a cactus, with a donkey, making tortillas. The purpose was not to service her Instagram, but a quest for the perfect Bumble profile pic. This quixotic obsession got me worrying about the effects of app dating and how it’s warping our romantic priorities. Lauren is one side of the coin, anxious and questing, but myself and many men are on the other. I’ve become convinced that dating apps are making many men miserable.

It seems counter-intuitive. What could possibly be wrong with having an endless supply of beautiful women available at the merest swipe of a thumb? Sex-infused dating is now more accessible than ever. We are no longer limited by the confines of our immediate social circle or what bar we happen to be in. I recently attended the wedding of a couple who would never have met without an algorithm to introduce them. Two people from utterly different worlds who now seem ideally matched. It was thrilling to behold. But by solving one problem, apps like Hinge, Bumble, Happn and Tinder have created another. Men are suffering from the complacency of easy access and the tyranny of endless choice.

At a men’s group I sometimes attend in Brooklyn, several guys have complained of how app dating is making them feel worthless. They describe their sex lives as a parade of unsatisfying mini-affairs, their bedposts filled with notches, their hearts empty of love.

What could possibly be wrong with having an endless supply of beautiful women available at the merest swipe of a thumb?

They spoke of being unable to resist the temptation to indulge their libido – which is now so effortless – but of feeling an emptiness during and after these affairs. A niggling fear that they’ve lost the art of finding or maintaining a meaningful relationship. ‘I don’t want to keep fucking different girls every week,’ one of them told me. ‘I just want someone I can be myself with.’

Apps are encouraging men’s worst instincts. Why commit to one relationship when there are so many other potential mates out there? Why be monogamous when promiscuity is so damn easy? Why judge a girl on the deep facets of her personality when you can make a snap decision based on the symmetry of her face?

This was my experience of app dating, too, which I tried when I first came to New York. I could feel myself slipping into a superficial, acquisitive mindset, casually dismissing some girls and pining for others based simply on how much cleavage they showed in their profile picture. I hated it and deleted the apps, permanently. I preferred dating the old-fashioned way.

Women such as Lauren – and men, too – have internalised this reality. The shallow among us may enjoy this dynamic, but for many it is unsatisfying. While most men have a voice in their head urging them to sleep with as many women as possible, the truth is promiscuity isn’t for everyone. The most promiscuous periods of my life have often been the least happy.

I have nothing against promiscuity. If you want to shag till you drop, go for it. But now that dating apps are a permanent reality – transforming the way we meet and mate – it’s time we acknowledged this paradox: the more convenient finding love becomes, the more difficult it is to sustain. We’ll be much happier for it.

When you’re in a foreign country or state you don’t know well, it can be difficult to know where to go, how, and when. It’s all too easy to get lost and overwhelmed in a new city, but fortunately, there are some apps that can help. As well as innovative general traveling apps like SitOrSquat and Detour, some handy transport applications can make your trip much more manageable.

Citymapper

Arguably the best app for getting around, Citymapper has it all. The app features a map of your surroundings where you can view traffic updates, road closures, and routes. It can give you directions for cycling and walking, as well as giving you live updates on public transport, so you’ll know when your bus is running late. The app also shows you the suggested mode of transportation for getting around, so you’ll have pre-warning that your journey isn’t going to be fun if you’re walking a route that they suggest you get a train for.

AirHelp

Though this app doesn’t help you get around, per se, it can come in handy when you’re traveling. If your flight is severely delayed, canceled, or something else goes wrong, AirHelp has the solution. Simply input your flight and ticket details into the app, and it will automatically file a compensation claim for you. If your application is successful, your payment will be transferred straight into your bank account.

Uber

If you get stuck in an unknown city, with no idea of how to get back to your hotel, then Uber could be your lifesaver. It automatically finds your location and lets you know exactly how much and how long your taxi will be. You then pay on the app, meaning you can get out at your destination without having to worry about having the right change.

Mobile Passport

Valid in three cruise ports and 26 airports across the United States, Mobile Passport allows you to avoid the majority of customs and passport control. You set up a profile on the app, fill in your passport details – or scan it for it to fill it in itself – and input your trip details. When you reach your port of entry, the app will show you a barcode, where you skip most of customs and get it scanned, which gives them all the information they need, and you’re free to be on your way. What a genius invention!

Skyscanner

This app lets you book flights, hotels, and car rentals, no matter where you are. You can even get tailored notifications when deals arise. It also offers flight tracking, so you know exactly when your flight is expected to arrive and depart. You can even share an itinerary with other members of your party on the app.

Any application which can make our lives easier on our travels is worth it, especially if it’s free! These apps are among many which can help you out if you’re in need of directions or transport, as well as making your life generally easier and more convenient.

“We’ve had an incredible experience connecting with all of you through our apps these past few years,” Kim, 38, wrote in a statement on her site. “But have made the difficult decision to no longer continue updating in 2019.”

The post — titled “To My Subscribers” — concluded: “We truly hope you’ve enjoyed this journey as much as we have, and we look forward to what’s ahead.”

Stars Who Got Their Start on Reality TV Khloe Kardashian, Kendall Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian West and Kylie Jenner attend Kanye West Yeezy Season 3 at Madison Square Garden on February 11, 2016 in New York City.Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

“We wanted to change our digital platform and make it more than just a blog that we had before,” Kim said as they began their app journey. “I just felt like there was no other platform that could do it all unless we do it ourselves.”

Kourtney, meanwhile, will remain a part of Keeping Up With the Kardashians — alongside her sisters — while raising her three children, sons Mason and Reign and daughter, Penelope, whom she shares with ex Scott Disick.

For Kylie, 21, she continues to challenge the status quo being the founder and owner of her successful Kylie Cosmetics makeup line. The former Life of Kylie star is also mom of 10-month-old daughter, Stormi, whom she shares with boyfriend Travis Scott.

One of the biggest issues with traveling is having to deal with the language barrier. The more countries you visit, the greater the problems you face. While plenty of people around the world speak English, most of them don’t have it as their first language. That causes communication issues, especially if you’re not well versed in their native tongue either. Thankfully, technology can save the day. The rise of smartphones means there are now apps for everything, including translating foreign languages. Which ones are the best to use though?

Papago

If you’re looking for an app that translates all languages, this isn’t it. However, if you’re in China, Japan or Korea and need to know what things say, you’ll want Papago on your phone. The app compensates for its lack of language options by giving you incredible insight into the ones it does know. In the case of Papago, it’s all about quality over quantity. It can offer you a wide range of support, from things like understanding daily expressions to the lingo needed in restaurants, shops, hotels and plenty more. Your Asian vacation won’t be the same without this.

iTranslate Voice 3

There’s nothing more frustrating than dealing with miscommunication when you’re talking to someone foreign. They don’t speak your language, you don’t speak theirs, and it’s getting you both nowhere. Luckily, there might be an app to stop these awkward encounters from ever happening again. iTranslate Voice 3 acts as a tool for your conversations by translating everything you say. All you do is speak into the microphone, and it converts what you said into the language you desire. The person you’re talking to does the same thing, and soon enough all confusions are cleared up with you and your new friend.

Google Translate

Google Translate is a service that many people are familiar with, and it’s likely you’ve used it at least once in your life. Although the translations don’t come back 100% perfect, they should give you a firm idea of what someone’s said. Plus, this app has the added advantage of the Word Lens feature. If there’s a piece of text you don’t understand, Google Translate can tell you what it says. All you have to do is open your camera in the app and highlight whatever it is you don’t understand.

Microsoft Translator

Microsoft Translator essentially combines all the great features from these other apps into one versatile package. Whether you prefer to type or speak what it is you want to translate, it doesn’t matter. The app will do it all for you and give you a response to the best of its ability. It also offers the option to turn foreign text into english if you take a photo of a sign that you don’t understand. It’s the ideal app for any first-time traveler.

While it’s great to try and learn more than just one language during your life, you can’t be expected to know them all. Thankfully, with all these apps at your disposal, communicating in a foreign country is now easier than ever.

A report from the New York Times recently revealed that it can be pretty easy to identify someone using location data collected by apps on our phones. Here's how to stop apps on your iPhone or Android phone from tracking you all the time.Tech

Google has taken swift action after it was discovered that more than a dozen apps that install malware on user devices were found in the Google Play store.

The company has yanked the 13 Android apps, which included car and truck driving simulations as well as a couple that actually got featured in the store’s trending section. However, that removal came after a researcher claimed that at least 500,000 users had download the apps in total, risking the installation of malware on their devices.

When we say a ‘more successful’ family vacation we basically mean that anything could happen, especially on a family trip. Things can either go really well or terribly wrong. There was a time when things were simpler and life was, well, much easier. However, everything started changing once kids got in the picture. As much as we adore them, when parents take their kids away from their normal day-to-day routine (which can be unbearable sometimes on its own), let’s just say that they feel more free than ever, and that’s not always such a good thing. Free to scream more, to get lost more and to have horrible meltdowns in the most picturesque places. Don’t get us wrong, a family vacation can also be amazing because it’s a time for pure bonding, a precious time that you don’t always get in your everyday life.

Thankfully, in this day and age, parents have apps to pretty much save them from anything that could go wrong. Ok, maybe not anything but if they want to ‘survive’ a family vacation with their kids, there are a few apps that will come very handy. Some are more useful than others and some are just about pure fun, isn’t that what a vacation is all about? Who knows, maybe some parents will even consider going on another family vacation very soon. Everyone needs some technical help from time to time, and that’s where these 5 apps come in.

GateGuru:

GateGuru is the one app you absolutely need when traveling with kids. It will be a real lifesaver in case your flight gets delayed, or god forbid, cancelled. Based on your flight schedule and details, this app will give you real-time updates so you won’t need to waste any of your precious time. You will also get ,major discounts on travel-related features such as car rental and list of shops and restaurants you can find at the airport.

Yuggler:

Yey, you arrived at your destination, congratulations! Now, if you haven’t planned ahead of time (which is probably not the best idea) then you’ll be very thankful for Yuggler. This app is all about fun and keeping your kids busy. Depending on your area, it will offer you suggestions and opinions of things you can do based on other parents’ recommendations and photos. There’s an option to filter according to your kids’ age, the season you’re traveling in and more.

USA Rest Stops:

In the case of a family road trip or just in case you have long drives as part of your trip itinerary, you will com to realize that your kids need to go, A LOT! The number of breaks just go up as they get older. With USA Rest Stop, you will get to find different rest stops across the country so you will always know when the next stop will be. ‘Are we there yet?’ will become a whole lot endurable.

Postagram:

Postagram will let you send your relatives back home an interactive postcard that will get to their phone way faster than a normal postcard would, obviously. Your Instagram snaps will turn into postcards in just one click.

Plates Free Family Travel Game:

Remember that license plate game you used to play with your siblings and parents when driving around the country? Well, it just went from traditional to digital. Have your children search for different license plates in different states, that way you’ll burn another hour or two.

For many travelers, their next vacation spot is not just about the scenery, the shopping or the sightseeing. In fact, for many the local cuisine and the food in general is the main focus of their trip. People would actually buy a plane ticket, pay for a hotel room and go through all the ‘burden’ of planning a trip just to go and, we guess, eat. We can totally understand that passion for food and for trying out new things and enticing your taste buds all so very often as we also love the idea of traveling for food. While for many tourists (or even local) going out to a restaurant is just another way to ease their hunger and continue from there, for others it’s really a mission to try out as mush as they can.

What makes one a foodie? We mean, there’s really so much more to being a real foodie than just snapping awesome and Instagram-worthy pictures of your dessert or dinner. It’s actually a deep dedication (and passion) to the colorful culinary world. It seems, though, that these days we are swamped with food and drink-related apps. We don’t know anymore if it’s an app that is all about restaurants and how to find the best one according to your preferences in your area, or whether it’s an app that is about booking the best seats at your favorite place. The choices are endless, the concepts are cool and appetizing, but if you’re looking for specific apps that will match your inner foodie when you travel and make your dining experiences even better, then we’ve rounded up five of the best and most useful apps to help you in that area.

Off the Menu

Every foodie knows that a big part of sharing your dining experiences is about those unique things that happened to you during that time or special dishes you tried that no one else would even dare to try. Well, with Off The Menu you will get to see secret menus and special items that restaurants wouldn’t necessarily offer its guests. With this app you will get a ticket to the backdoor of every important kitchen across the U.S and Canada and will get to try out new things like no one else. This is your way to stay hip and trendy in the restaurant world.

Happy Cow

Being a vegetarian or a vegan these days does not mean that your options are limited. On the contrary, it seems like there are more and more veggie restaurants rising and with the help of Happy Cow, you can now find them easily around the world. The main purpose of the app’s founders was to make healthy food more accessible and easy to find.

Roaming Hunger

Now this app is one of the coolest food-related apps we have ever seen around. The Roaming Hunger really combines one of the biggest trends in the culinary world these days and that is the wheeling trend of food trucks. With this app you will be able to locate the closest food trucks in your area. There is something so neat about food tricks and their concept that some places are actually worth traveling for just for their mobile food stations.

Foodspotting

Foodspotting couldn’t be more specific as it’s not about the restaurants, it’s actually about the dishes. Sure, these two go hand in hand, but the app focuses on specific dishes and their visuality rather than the quality of the service. By using the app, foodspotters can share pictures of their meals with other users and recommend about these dishes. It’s like sightseeing, but just about food.

No Wait

Every professional foodie knows how hard it gets to try and score a table at a popular restaurant. In fact, there is nothing more disappointing than to travel to a place just to realize you can’t find a spot at a restaurant you’ve been dying to dine in. With NoWait, you will place yourself on the waiting list from pretty much anywhere. Users will be able to see real-time wait times that will save them a lot of time and energy.

Ninety-five percent of reviewed apps for children ages 5 and under include at least one form of advertising, a new study finds. Researchers found play was frequently interrupted by pop-up video ads, persuasion by commercial characters to make in-app purchases to enhance the game experience and overt banner ads that could be distracting, misleading and not always age-appropriate.Child Development News — ScienceDaily

In August, the FDA approved a mobile fertility app called Natural Cycles as a method of contraception. It's the first time that the U.S. has allowed a mobile app to advertise itself as a medical device that prevents pregnancy.Health and Science

Happy Columbus Day! Unsurprisingly, pickings were slim on this Monday holiday, but we managed to wrangle a few solid deals to keep you busy while you (hopefully) spend the day relaxing at home, preparing for a short week. Then again, these could also come in handy if you’re bored at work too!

A 2015 report by NIH found that teaching children meditation can improve their cognitive, social and emotional skills as well as their academic performance. One trial found that it can even lower symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder.Health and Science